


Adashi Children Shenanigans

by magicianparrish



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Embarassing Parents, F/F, Family Fluff, First Crush, First Dates, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Mild Angst, Post-Canon, Raising kids, Roller Coasters, Sickfic, Sleepovers, Trying to parent as best they can, embarassing family, watching home videos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23513830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianparrish/pseuds/magicianparrish
Summary: Layman's terms: a bunch of my adashi children prompts from tumblr put on here :)
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Take this as a small gift in these trying times. 
> 
> Enjoy!

When Adam went to pick up Hikaru from school, he immediately honed in on the fact that something was wrong. His youngest son was always coming to him with a big smile on his face and ready to tell him every detail of his day. That day Hikaru had a frown on his face and he greeted Adam with a mumble before stalking off towards the car without another word. Adam glanced around in confusion before following him. 

They sat in the car, the silence was stifling between the two of them. Even the local radio station that was always playing the new music that Takashi loved didn’t seem to fill it. Eventually, Adam turned down the volume and glanced at his youngest son through the rearview mirror. The boy’s arms were crossed over his chest and he was looking out the window with a sad look on his face. 

“Karu, how was your day?” Adam finally asked. 

They made it to their neighborhood, but Adam pulled over on the street. He turned around to face his son better. Hikaru was still looking out the window. He let out a huff and shrugged his shoulders. 

“Fine.” 

Adam normally let things slide, and let them come to him on their own terms. But it was such a dramatic difference from what was normal Adam continued to prod gently. Adam then got out of the driver’s seat and went to the back to sit next to Hikaru. He watched as Adam did that his eyebrows furrowed, his amber eyes looking at Adam with confusion and wariness. 

“Hikaru, I think I know you a little better than that. Something is bothering you,” Adam said softly moving in close to his son. 

Though Adam was persisting on finding the root of the problem, he never forced his children to tell him anything until they were ready. Hikaru knew that. Adam waited patiently as he figured out his thoughts. Finally, after a few minutes, Hikaru let out a sniffle and clenched his jaw and dropped his head. Adam felt his heart squeeze. 

“Oh my darling, come here,” Adam cooed. 

Hikaru unbuckled his seatbelt and Adam held his arms open for him. His son wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his head into his shoulder. Warm tears streamed from him and onto Adam’s shirt. Adam gently rocked him and comforted him as he allowed Hikaru to let his sadness out. 

Once the sobs had started to subside, Adam carded a hand through his brown hair gently. Just like he used to do when he was a baby. Hikaru was still breathing fast and hiccuping from the crying. 

“My sunshine, what has made you so sad?” Adam asked. 

Some more sniffles were let out before Hikaru finally answered Adam’s question. His watery amber eyes looking up at Adam. Adam was slowly rubbing his son’s back in comfort. 

“Lonny Smith made fun of me because he said that boys who like have nails painted and stuff are gay and stupid and aren’t real boys,” he managed out. 

“I tried to tell him he was wrong, and that he couldn’t use that word that way, and defend you and Daddy but then his friends joined in and I couldn’t speak over them, and the aides wouldn’t do anything!” By this time, Hikaru started to cry again. 

Hearing the confession made Adam’s heart sink, but he felt a sense of pride in his son too. He leaned down and kissed the crown of Hikaru’s head and hugged him tightly. Adam didn’t say anything for a moment. 

“Well, Hikaru I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself and appreciate that you thought of me and daddy. I wouldn’t take what that boy said too much to heart. But I think I have an idea,” Adam replied. 

Adam sent a text to the person he knew would be most equipped for this. Then they drove the rest of the way home quietly. When they entered through the door, it was quiet for once. Adam took off his shoes and took the backpack off of Hikaru’s shoulders as they walked down the hallway leading to their open kitchen and dining room. Adam’s three older kids were all sitting down at the table doing their homework as they were supposed to do every day. He went and greeted them all with a brief kiss. Alma just smiled but said nothing, Bashira went in for a hug as well, and Bahiri made an _eck_ sound wiping his forehead dramatically. 

When they saw Hikaru, they all stopped what they were doing. Bahiri surprisingly went to his younger brother first. The boy twin of the family was often the one who teamed up against Hikaru the most and was always using him as a personal punching bag (metaphorically speaking). Bahiri bent down to his brother’s level and put his hands on his shoulders, his gray eyes scrutinizing every detail. 

“What happened?” he demanded. “Who do I need to beat up?” 

“Bahiri, please,” Adam sighed. “You are not going to fight anyone.” 

There was a fire in his older son’s eyes. Sometimes Adam wondered how he somehow got a son that was young Keith. Bahiri was always itching for a fight, had had excess energy that he didn’t know what to do with. So, Adam, had him test out some sports as a way to harness it, and Bahiri had taken a love for hockey. Adam had also stumbled upon the fact that his older son had a keen interest in cooking, which Adam happily used as an excuse to show him and pass down the tradition as his father and grandfather had done before. 

Bahiri huffed in disappointment, his arms crossed over his chest. Thankfully he decided not to fight Adam on it today. Perhaps for the sake of his brother, who often tried to be peacekeeper and got upset when people fought. Bahiri instead picked up his brother and walked them over to the couch. Alma and Bashira joined shortly after to help their brother in a rare moment of sibling solidarity. Hikaru hiccuped his way through the story again for his siblings, and by the time he was done Bahiri was up in arms again. 

“I’m gonna find that kid and teach him a lesson!” He declared with fury. “No one talks shit like that about my family! Only I can!” 

“Bahiri, I need you to relax. I already called someone in to help us, and please watch your language. At least around me,” Adam said gently trying to talk his fiery son down from the ledge. 

Bahiri looked ready to argue with Adam, but Adam issued the look that meant I’m not playing around today so do not test me. 

“Ugh what a loser! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about Karu, having painted nails is great!” Bashira said hugging her younger brother close to her chest. 

Hikaru worshiped the ground Bashira walked on, and they were two sides of the same coin in many ways. 

It was then that Takashi also joined the fray, walking out of his office. When he saw the scene before him his face scrunched up. 

“Why was Bahiri screeching about beating someone up? Thankfully the conference call I was on didn’t involve very important people,” he said.

And for the third time, the story of what happened was explained. For a moment there was the same fire in Takashi’s eyes that he had seen in Bahiri’s. Adam often forgot that Bahiri’s personality did not come from nowhere, but rather could be reminiscent of Takashi’s young days as well. It had been why he and Keith got along so well in the beginning. Then he tampered down the initial flames and went into dad mode. He picked up his youngest son and held him close. 

“Well that’s silly because I love having my nails painted and I know for a fact I’m not stupid and I am indeed a boy,” Takashi said in comfort. 

It seemed to do the trick. Like his older sister, Hikaru also worshiped Takashi. He had expressed on multiple occasions that he wanted to be just like him when he grew up. Hikaru was also not afraid to boast just who his dad was to anyone who would listen. Hikaru let out a small laugh looking at Takashi. 

“You’re the smartest man in the universe! You lead Voltron and lead the Garrison!” Hikaru exclaimed happily. 

Takashi returned the gesture and smiled brightly. “You’re right, I did lead Voltron for a little bit and I guess I do lead parts of the Garrison. But I think that the smartest man in the universe may be your Baba. He sure is a whole lot smarter than me.” 

Adam scoffed and waved him off hoping the blush on his face wasn’t noticeable. He looked back at his husband who was smiling at him. Adam watched as he shrugged his shoulders. 

“What? You know it’s true.” Then he turned to his son. “Anyway, I say a nail painting night is in order now. To show that true boys paint their nails.” 

Bashira screeched and jumped off the couch. “I have been waiting all my life for this to happen!” 

Adam laughed at his youngest daughter. “You’ll also be happy to know I recruited Uncle Lance and Uncle Keith to help us.” 

Bashira screamed again jumping up and down. “I have to go get my collection ready! Alma, come with me!” 

“What?” Alma was able to ask. 

She grabbed Alma by the wrist, who looked startled. Her brown eyes were wide and she let out a yelp as Bashira dragged her away and towards their shared room. Adam wrapped his arm around Bahiri. 

“And I’m recruiting you for dinner. We have to make more than usual since we are hosting two more people tonight.” 

Bahiri went without a fight eager to start cooking and be away from his homework for the time being. Adam watched as Takashi took Hikaru into another part of the house for some alone time. He was always better at having one to one talks with their kids. 

Adam and Bahiri were hard at work, and nearly complete when they heard the door open. 

“We’re here! And we got the good stuff!” Lance’s voice was heard. 

“Really?” Keith grumbled. 

Bahiri immediately abandoned the pot he was at to go running towards his Uncles. Adam heard a grunt and he knew that Bahiri had gone in for the tackle hug for Keith. The three of them came in and Adam also left his post to hug the two of them. Adam then had them plate the table for him much to the dismay of Keith. 

“Just because you don’t live in my house anymore, doesn’t mean you can’t help out,” Adam reminded him. “I practically raised you!”

Slowly the rest of the household began to trickle into the kitchen at the smell of food. Both girls were already in their pajamas, Alma’s black hair plaited into a milkmaids braid, and Bashira’s brown hair thrown up into a bun on top of her head. They hugged both their uncles in greeting. 

“Are those bangs new?” Lance asked Bashira. 

Bashira preened and nodded. “Yes, do you like them? They’re back in style.” 

“Oh yeah, you are rocking them!” 

Takashi and Hikaru joined last. Hikaru ran ahead to hug his uncles. Takashi then went in and grabbed Keith by the neck and gave him a noogie. Keith squawked in protest before Takashi let him go laughing. 

“What is wrong with you two?” he demanded. 

“Sorry Keith, you will always be that little kid we brought in to us, even if you have little kids of your own now too,” Adam admitted. “Now everyone sit down and eat!” 

After dinner had been served and the table cleared, Bashira and Alma went to grab all the things they needed. They placed a large container of nail polish of every color imaginable on the table. Lance then took out containers of face masks from his bag. He clapped his hands together. 

“Let’s get this spa day going!” he announced. 

Adam had gone to change into his pajamas before proceeding. He had also let his hair get a little long so he had to grab his headband as well to keep it out of his face. Alma smirked as she tied Takashi’s silly little fringe up off his face making it stick straight up. Then Adam sat next to his husband, and covered his face with clay, while he did the same to him. At some point, Lance had put on soft music that Adam enjoyed. Lance and Bashira helped file and shape everyone’s nails for them. 

Adam had chosen to paint his pastel green. Takashi did a surprisingly good job, and Adam returned the favor when he went for a bolder blue color for himself. They even allowed Bashira to draw some little flower designs on their ring fingers. 

By the time everyone was finished it was close to the kids’ bedtime. They all compared colors. Lance went for a navy blue, while Keith went for a subdued red. Bashira had hot pink nails, and Alma went for a purple. Bahiri went for a deep red because it looked the most like blood (Adam rolled his eyes skyward when he heard that), and Hikaru went for a light yellow color because it looked like sunshine. 

Lance then took a nice selfie with everyone showing off their new nail colors, and sent it to Takashi and Adam. 

“Now you can show anyone who says otherwise that 3 paladins of Voltron have their nails painted because they’re real men!” Lance told Hikaru. 

Hikaru beamed loving his new colors. “I will! I will!” 

Then a group hug was initiated and all was well in the Shirogane-Wali household again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alma meets her new baby siblings :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love big sis vibes :)

Shiro was at work, prepping for another meeting with the Red Tape Committee (not the actual name, but what Shiro dubbed them, because…bureaucrats.) Sometimes he wondered how the hell he even got the job as Admiral because he was willing to go along until he wanted things done in a more timely (and probably more efficient) manner. People often saw him as the perfect soldier, the golden boy of the Garrison. Shiro had no idea how that came to be because he was honestly not the golden standard when he went through the Academy, and even in his early years as a junior officer and newly minted fighter pilot. Shiro fought, he cursed, he pranked, he was known to go on drunken benders at least once every month with friends, he smoked pot (courtesy of one stoner Matthew Holt). One time some poor Mexican man found him on the side of the street in downtown Phlat City and brought him home to Adam asking if he belonged to him in broken English, with a dent and cut on his head, no doubt from the cab driver he got into a fight with if his friends were to be believed. That was also the week before he and Adam were to marry, and Shiro wouldn’t have blamed him if he seconded guessed being bonded to Shiro for eternity. Hell, he had gone out on one of those crazy drunk benders the day before his first interview for the Admiral position, and somehow ended up with a giant jug of tequila that had been emptied out by him and some stolen chickens in the backyard when he woke the next morning. Ninety percent of the time, Shiro was a hot mess express, and lived by the mantra “fake it till you make it”. It’s worked well for him thus far. **  
**

It had been a while since one of those crazy nights happened. Since his first child Alma was born there really wasn’t too much time to go out on the town until 5 am, somehow land yourself into a diner to eat as much as humanly possible, go home, wake up and head to the same diner at 11 am to cure the hangover and be embarrassed that the same waitress was serving them again. (Yes, this has happened more than once. It was a system he and his friends had down.) Nowadays, Shiro couldn’t stay up later than nine.

Shiro typed away at an email to one of the Vice-Admirals quickly, just to clarify something that would be discussed in the meeting. As he was writing it, a little ping was heard as the chat window opened it. It technically wasn’t supposed to be allowed on work sanctioned computers, but his husband, the brilliant engineer he was, tweaked some code to allow it. And collaborated with the Holts who helped run the IT part of the Garrison to override the breach in protocol. The little avatar displayed Adam’s smiling face on it.

**Adam Wali [12:32 PM]**

_Good luck with the meeting today. You got this_ , the message read. 

Shiro smiled at the message from his husband. As the Dean of the Academy, Adam knew the troubles of bureaucracy himself, and always sent some encouraging words his way when he knew there was a big meeting. He quickly signed off on the email and sent it before turning his attention to answer the message.

 **Takashi Shirogane [12:34 PM]**

_Thanks, love. I’ll hopefully survive if Griffith doesn’t try to propose stupid ideas again and undermind me. Hope things are going somewhat smoother on your side._

**Adam Wali [12:37 PM]**

_Ugh. I hate that guy. I wish someone would just tell him off already! Takashi, you should!_

Added to the message was one of the little avatars that Adam was so fond of using, of him looking disgruntled and shaking his fist. Shiro laughed at his reaction and the little avatar. He loved that Adam used them unironically and for almost every occasion he could. 

**Takashi Shirogane [12:38]**

_I wish I could. But that’s not very becoming of the Admiral, is it? There are more…discreet ways to do it. :p_

Adam shot him another avatar that was rolling his eyes. He could imagine Adam shaking his head and groaning in his office. 

**Adam Wali [12:38]**

_Ugh I hate it when you are right. I have to go, time to do some observations. Wish me luck too._

**Takashi Shirogane [12:39]**

_Good luck. I’ll see you tonight._

Shiro then went about the rest of his day. The meeting wasn’t too eventful, and just as he predicted Griffith tried to propose some ludicrous idea and sneered at Shiro the entire time. The man held a grudge because he got put aside for the Admiralality over Shiro. To which Shiro would say, _get over it, it’s been years now._ And if he were feeling particularly petty, y _ou haven’t done much to warrant it, other than being an obedient pencil pusher for Sanda_. But he kept those thoughts to some pillow talks between him and Adam because Adam hated him too. 

At around 1500, his phone started to ring on his desk. He stopped taking a quiz to test his Voltron history (which was too easy) to pick it up. 

“Admiral Shirogane,” he answered. 

“Shiro,” the voice of his receptionist Stephanie said. “You have an important call on line two.” 

“Put me through Steph.” 

He pressed the button and allowed the connection through. “Admiral Shirogane,” he said again. 

“Shiro!” A much more excited voice came through. Shiro immediately perked up at the sound of his sister-in-law’s voice. 

“Roshni, what’s up?” 

“I’m so sorry to call through your work, but it’s happening! You better get to Lawrence! Bring Adam!” 

Shiro shot up from his seat, the phone held between his shoulder and ear. 

“Are you serious?” 

“Why would I joke! I’m bringing the kids now. Hakim’s on duty so he’ll help! No time to waste! I’ll see you soon,” she exclaimed before hanging up. 

Shiro put the phone back and immediately started to close up his things. As he was doing so he dialed Adam’s number on speaker knowing it would be easier to just do his work number than personal. Adam rarely had his cellphone on him at work. 

“Hello, this is Dean Adam Wali’s office. How may I assist you?” his secretary Erin greeted him. 

“Erin! It’s Shiro. Tell Adam to meet me outside in five minutes,” he said hastily. 

“Oh my God. It’s happening isn’t it?” she exclaimed. 

“Yes. No time. Thanks, Erin,” he said before hanging up. 

He ran out of his office. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What’s the rush for?” Steph asked. 

“The twins are coming!” Shiro shouted behind him not pausing to have a conversation. 

He had just enough time to hear her scream “What!” before he was running through the hallways of the Garrison. 

In record time he was outside in the parking lot, and Adam came running right behind him. His glasses were askew and he was breathing heavily. The two of them had large smiles on their faces as they got into the car. Shiro pulled out and sped down the highway leading to St. Lawrence hospital in downtown Phlat City. 

“Pull over to CVS,” Adam said. 

Shiro glanced at his husband with his eyebrows scrunched. He was glad there was little traffic in the city today. 

“What for?” 

“I want to buy a camera,” Adam said simply.

Shiro was holding the steering wheel so tightly the knuckles on his left hand were white. He found that he was very tense. His babies were coming! 

“Adam, there’s no time,” Shiro protested. 

Adam waved him off. “Hakim texted me. We still have time until they’re ready. I want a camera.” 

“You have one on your phone,” Shiro pointed out. 

“It’s not the same. Pullover to the CVS on Lexington,” Adam insisted.

Adam had gotten into vintage things lately. And the latest was the idea of disposable cameras and developing film. He had bought a Polaroid camera and brought that thing with him everywhere, except for work. There was just enough interest still in them that CVS still sold them and developed the film in their stores. 

“Adam-” Shiro began. 

“Takashi, just do it. Alma had come to us so fast there was barely any time for us to process it before she was transferred to Phoenix. Now that we have some time, I want some pictures. So, you better pull this car to Lexington.” Adam ended with a smile that showcased his deep dimples. It was sweet, but his words were thinly veiled with threats of the future. 

Shiro sighed and did as he was bid. Adam ran into the store and was out a minute later with his small little yellow Kodak camera with a triumphant smile on his face. Thankfully the store was close to the hospital. They pulled in to the designated lot and went inside the reception area. They walked up to the receptionist who was typing something on her computer. 

“One moment,” she said politely. 

When she finished she smiled and looked up, then did a double-take when she looked at Adam. 

“Dr. Wali, what?” she asked with a confused look.

Adam smiled and let out a chuckle. “The wrong Dr. Wali. I’m Adam, Hakim’s brother. I hear he is on duty today, correct?” 

The receptionist looked a little flustered and let out a breathy chuckle. “Yes, he is. I’ll page him to let you know you’re here.” 

They turned around to take their seats, and a few minutes later, Roshni came in through the doors with three kids in tow. 

“Daddy! Baba!” Alma shouted. 

Adam leaned forward with his arms open as Alma came running to them. He snatched her up into a big hug and kissed her head which had her giggling.

“My _zarrgiya_ , how I’ve missed you.”

She climbed out of Adam’s lap and into Shiro’s where he greeted her with the same vigor. He was always so happy to see his daughter. He carded his fingers through her black hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

Their niece and nephew, Ayeda and Hasan came over and greeted them with big smiles. Adam kissed them both on the head as well. 

“Oh my, how big you two get every time I see you!” 

Ayeda blushed and rolled her eyes, while Hasan preened like a peacock. Adam started to talk with them in Pashto while Shiro entertained Alma. Roshni had gone up to the desk and was chatting with the receptionist. 

“Daddy, why are we here? Is someone sick?” Alma asked, her bright amber eyes looking at him. 

Shiro smiled. “Just the opposite, sweetheart. Your brother and sister are coming today.” 

Her eyes lit up and widened. Her mouth dropped. “Really?” she gasped. 

“Really. You’re going to become a big sister today.” 

“Wow! I am excited!” she exclaimed. 

“Me too.” 

“I can’t wait to meet them!” 

They watched as the door opened up to reveal a nearly identical face to Adam’s. Hakim walked over with a large smile on his face. Adam got up and hugged his twin tightly. He was in blue scrubs and half of his hair was tied back. In his hand was a hairnet. 

“Hey, guys. Come with me, the babies are just about ready to be taken out. But first, we got to scrub you all.” 

They all followed Hakim through the doors and they changed into scrubs to put over their bodies. Then they followed him to the part of the maternity ward designated for the incubators. Thanks to alien and Altean technology the use of incubators to create life had developed, even with two parents of the same sex. Shiro had been fascinated by it and helped to develop the science part, as his specialty was astrobiology. Though mostly concerned about what is outside of Earth, parts of it are figuring out ways to ensure the future of life. 

They entered the room, and Hakim with some nurses chatted away. They all put their hairnets and facemasks on. Hakim turned to them. 

“Are you ready?” he asked. 

They all nodded eagerly. “Okay, let’s get her done.”

They began the process and Adam watched as the incubators that held two lifeforms began the process of transitioning from an artificial uterus and welcoming them to the world. After a few minutes the incubator let out some beeps and it opened up. The nurses rushed forward and followed the protocol for this. Then two wails came into the world. The cries of the newborns filled the room. The nurses cut the cords and went to wash them, measure and weigh them. 

Hakim took his mask off and beamed. He clapped both him and Shiro on the shoulders. “Congrats you two. And you, little flower. You are a big sister now.” 

Alma took her mask off too. “Just like Ayeda!” 

Hakim chuckled. “Yes, just like your big cousin.”

The nurses came back in with the two small bundles. They were silent now and sleeping soundly. The nurse gave the twin in the pink blanket to Adam, and Shiro passed Alma off to Roshni so he could hold the twin in the blue blanket. At the first contact, both twins reached out and leaned closer to them. Adam had already started to cry. 

“They are beautiful,” Adam sighed. 

“Yes, they are,” Shiro agreed. 

“What are you naming them? I’ve been dying to know for months now,” Hakim asked. 

They kept the sexes a secret, for Alma and now the twins. And they kept their names chosen close to their chests too. 

“Bashira and Bahiri are the names we agreed on. Bringing joy and brilliance to us,” Adam said. 

They both had sat down to be with their new babies. Alma had come over and sat on the arms of the two chairs between them. She had a look of awe on her face as she took in her new siblings. 

“I love them,” she declared in the confidence only an almost three-year-old could have.

It was then that Shiro started to cry too. Then he heard the click of a photo being taken and saw that Hakim had the little yellow Kodak in his hand. He smiled. 

“Nothing like good old fashion photos,” he declared. 

Adam laughed. “See, Hakim agrees with me!” 

“He’s your twin. You’re practically just one person,” Shiro rebutted. 

“Oh hush up. Well, happy late birthday, Takashi,” Adam said. 

“Ten days later,” he replied. 

“Better late than never, _jaanaana_.” 

The twins born on March 10, were the best birthday present Shiro could’ve ever asked for. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on tumblr: adashisoul


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alma has a first date :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love lesbian big sis and sisters supporting each other

When Simran asked her out on a date, Alma had been shocked. They had shared some classes and had become friendly with each other after bonding over their misfortunes in eighth-grade art class. Simran was easily one of the nicest people Alma had ever met, and always willing to talk to anyone. She kind of reminded Alma of her sister Shira in that way. Simran was also one of the smartest people in her class, taking all AP or honor classes. The poor girl was stressed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The fact that she even had time to ask Alma on a date was surprising. The idea that Simran even liked girls even more so! Alma had definitely not gotten that vibe from her at all. 

After the initial shock wore off, Alma agreed. She had never been on a date before. They didn’t discuss any of the details, but she knew it would be happening. When she had gotten home from track practice, Alma had stayed in her car for a few minutes trying to gather her thoughts. Her Baba’s car was in the driveway, which meant he was home. And her dad would surely be home soon. She let out a groan and let her head hit the back of her seat. What was she going to say to her parents? Not that they would ever judge her for liking girls…that would just be hypocritical. 

She took a deep breath and gathered her things before locking her door and making her way to the front entrance. She scanned her handprint that allowed it to automatically unlock, and she opened the door. 

“ _Zarrgiya?_ Is that you?” she heard her Baba call. 

“Yes, Baba,” she replied as she took her shoes off and placed them neatly in the cubby. 

The other shoes that belonged to her younger siblings did not quite meet their target. Alma shoved them closer with her foot so no one would trip over them when they came in. She made her way down the hallway and dumped her backpack onto the couch in the living room. A thunk was heard. 

“ _Ow_! Hey, watch it!” Bahiri’s voice called out in protest. 

He had lifted himself off his lying position on the couch to glare at her. He always had a fire in his eyes, and always seemed to be in a grumpy mood. Alma matched his glare with one of her own. 

“Don’t take up so much of the couch,” she said to him. 

“Don’t assume no one’s on it,” he retorted. “You know what they say.” 

Before he could finish the thought she shoved his head roughly with her hand made her way into the kitchen. She was starving and could use some mint Oreos. She found them after some digging and opened the box. 

“Ah! Do not spoil your dinner appetite,” he baba warned. 

Alma turned around to see him standing right behind her. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyebrows raised. Alma pursed her lips and put her Oreos back into the box. When she finished doing that, her Baba nodded his head in satisfaction. He walked around her and grabbed his apron and tied it around masterfully. He then ushered her out of the kitchen. 

“I’m about to start dinner. Bahiri, if you want to help me, you better get in here, and then you better do your homework when we’re done! I’m going to check it this time,” her Baba said loudly. 

He never screamed or shouted. Just occasionally raised his voice. Bahiri scrambled into the kitchen and immediately went to wash his hands. Her baba eyed Bahiri with wary eyes before rolling them fondly. He turned his attention to her and gave a gentle smile. 

“Start on your homework now. And tell Shira and Hikaru that I will be doing a homework check tonight. I will call you all down when it is ready.” 

Alma nodded her head. “Yes, Baba.” 

She did as she was told, and then started on her trigonometry homework. Her teacher had decided to assign a packet due at the end of the week, but Alma wanted it to be done. Now that she had a date! Even the thought of it made her toes curl and butterflies flutter in her stomach. Now that she had a date, she didn’t want anything to be in her way. 

When she told her parents, they had reacted in a way she had been expecting. Her dad was surprised and nearly choked on the hot chocolate he had been drinking. He had a whipped cream mustache as he stared at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. He had sputtered for a moment trying to get his thoughts together. Her Baba was much calmer about it. She watched him wipe the whipped cream off her dad’s face, and gently push his jaw up. He turned to her with curious eyes. And then asked twenty questions about her. Alma had tried to answer as best she could, hoping they were enough for them. Her Baba had nodded his head sagely and took a sip of his nightly chai. 

“Bring her over for dinner on Friday. We want to meet her,” he decided. 

* * *

Alma had nodded her head in okay and went to bed. Then she had to tell Simran the next day. Simran’s brown eyes widened at the idea. Her black hair was pulled back into her signature high bun. 

“Really? They want to meet so soon?” she had asked nervously. 

“Yes, they just want to see who you are. I promise they are not scary,” Alma had said. 

“But, they’re…so famous! Your dad is the Admiral of the Garrison! He was a part of Voltron! Your baba…a war hero! Gosh, this is so scary. I was just hoping we’d go see a movie or something!” she exclaimed. 

Alma hugged her books closer to her chest. She tried to not broadcast the fact that her parents were so famous. But her last name tended to give it away no matter what. Especially the Shirogane part. Alma shrugged her shoulders. 

“They aren’t scary. They’re the nicest people I know. And I’m not just saying that.” 

Simran tilted her head. “Really?” 

“Yes. Plus my baba is a very skilled cook. If you tell me what your favorite dish is, he’ll make it for Friday. He probably has a recipe written down in one of his secret books that he keeps.” 

Simran hesitated but eventually nodded. “Okay. Perhaps we can eat dinner at your place, and then see a movie?” 

Alma found herself smiling at the idea. “Sounds good to me. Plus we save money on the dinner part of the date.” 

They shared a laugh before the warning bell rang signaling them to go to their respective classes. 

As Simran started, she turned around. “So around seven?” 

“Yeah! I’ll text you my address.” 

Simran’s face broke out into a large smile. “Sounds good, Alma!” 

* * *

By the time Friday rolled around, Alma could hardly focus on anything but the upcoming date and Simran meeting not just her parents, but her entire family! She stood in front of her closet trying to figure out what to wear. Nothing too fancy right? But it can’t be too casual either. What was the compromise for that? She was agonizing over it. Alma didn’t know how long she stood in front of the closet. 

“Why are you glaring at your clothes?” Shira’s voice asked. 

The closeness of it startled Alma who whipped around to glare at her sister. Her gray eyes were wide in curiosity. Alma pursed her lips. 

“Trying to figure out what to wear,” she admitted. 

Shira lit up with excitement. “Ooh, what’s the occasion? Got a hot date?” she teased. 

Alma rolled her eyes but felt her cheeks flush with heat. When Shira realized that she was getting ready for a date she gasped. 

“Allah above! You have a date? Since when! With who? What are you doing?” she exclaimed. 

Alma put her hands on her sister’s shoulders. “Shira, you need to relax. It’s this girl named Simran. She’s coming over to have dinner with us, and then we’re going to a movie.” 

Shira let out a squeal and clapped her hands together. “Ah, the classic first date! Oh, we need to help you ASAP. Let me through.” 

She pushed her way past Alma, and she crossed her arms watching her little sister scrutinize her wardrobe. Shira was the fashionista of the family, while Alma tended to stick to casual athletic clothes most of the time. Shira started to take things out of her closet and toss them onto the bed. 

“Hey!” Alma protested, but it was to deaf ears. 

“Alma, we need to get you some better clothes, _yeesh!_ ” 

“ _Hey!_ ” she said more forcefully. 

After a few minutes, Shira came back out from the closet. She had her hands on her hips and her hip cocked out. Her gray eyes were narrowed and her lips pursed. She was thinking hard. Then Alma saw a lightbulb go off. 

She ran to the bed and went digging through the pile of clothes she accumulated. She put aside a long sleeve burgundy blouse, and a pair of light wash skinny jeans. She nodded her head to that. 

“Change into that.” 

Alma did as she was told, and changed right there. She didn’t care that her sister was in the room. They shared it, so this was normal. The blouse she wore was fitted until her waist and then flared out a little. 

“What size shoe are you?” Shira asked. 

“Ten.” 

Shira then ran to her own closet and ruffled around for a minute. Then she came back with a pair of camel-colored tall heeled boots. She tossed them Alma’s way, and she caught them. The heel was chunky but high. 

Shira had laid back on her own bed resting her weight on the heels of her hands. “How tall is she?” 

Alma gave a curt laugh. “Five foot four, I think. Something like that.” 

Shira burst out into laughter. “Oh yeah, put those on. The height difference will be comical!” 

Alma shook her head in disbelief. She stood tall, at six feet even, and putting on those boots would easily put her almost at the same height as her Baba, who stood 6’5”. She slipped them on and tested to see if her toes could breathe. It was almost a perfect fit, just on the tighter side. 

“You look _gorge_ , my sweet sister. Now, let me do your hair and makeup!” 

Alma allowed her sister to rope her into it. Though Shira was only fifteen, she had hit puberty early and was already coming close to Alma’s height. She had always been fascinated with makeup, so when she was finally able to scrape up enough allowance money she bought some on her own, and spent weeks watching makeup tutorials and practicing on herself. Shira had intricately braided her hair and pinned it to her head so that it would fit around her headscarf. The color she picked out matched the camel suede shoes, and she artfully pulled a few strands of her black hair to frame her face. Alma was shocked at the results. 

“This seems too fancy,” she said. 

Shira scoffed. “Please. You look fine. Now it’s almost time for dinner! Whatever Baba is cooking, it smells great!” 

Alma kept periodically checking her phone. It slowly inched closer to seven and each minute made her stomach tie in tighter knots. She had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. At seven on the dot, the doorbell rang. Alma sprinted out of her room. 

“I got it!” She shouted. 

“No, I do!” her youngest brother Hikaru screamed back. She didn’t know where he was coming from, but it made Alma run faster. 

She and he hit the door at the same time, and she practically body-slammed him out of the way. Hikaru lost his balance and fell into the shoe cubby. His amber eyes were wide with shock. Alma helped him up but then shooed him away. 

“Get out of here, and go to the dining room,” she gritted out. 

“Jeez, whatever is at the door must be scandalous,” he sing sung with that signature smirk on his face. 

Alma cursed him in Pashto which made his brother burst out laughing. “Oh yeah, definitely.” 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened the door. On the other side was Simran. Her long black hair was down in waves and carefully pinned with flower brooches. She had light makeup that made her eyes stand out. She was in a blue dress with light pink roses on it, with a belt tied around her waist. Her face looked surprised. 

“Alma..hi. Wow,” she breathed out. 

Alma hadn’t realized she stopped breathing. “Simran… come in.” 

She stood to the side and gestured for Simran to come inside. Simran walked into her house and Alma shut the door. She took off her shoes and left them to the side. The shoe cubby was now in disarray because Hikaru had fallen into it. Alma waved her hand. 

“Don’t worry about that.” 

She let out a flighty laugh. “Okay.” 

Alma walked her down the hallway, where she saw three pairs of curious eyes watching them. Alma made a cutting motion over her throat at her younger siblings. They all got the hint and scampered back to wherever they came from. She saw her dad setting up the table for dinner, while her Baba was busy plating the food. Alma cleared her throat to get their attention. Both her parents’ heads snapped up. 

“Oh! You must be Simran,” her dad said. He had a big smile on his face and he walked over to her. 

Simran’s eyes were wide as she looked up at her dad. He had his hand out for her to shae and it took a moment before she got the signal and met it. They shook hands briefly. 

“Hi, Mr. Shirogane thank you for having me,” she stuttered out. 

Her father waved his hand. “Oh, no need for the formalities. It makes me feel like an old man. Shiro is just fine with me.” 

Simran shared a glance with Alma who smiled encouragingly at her. She was doing great. Her baba came out of the kitchen area, wiping his hands on a dish towel. His glasses were up in his hair. He gave her a warm smile. 

“Simran, so nice to finally meet you,” he said in that soft accent of his. 

The gently shook hands. 

“Nice to meet you too…Mr. Wali?” Simran said hesitantly. 

Her baba laughed good naturedly. “That works too. Don’t exactly look like a Shirogane now do I?” he joked.

She watched him throw the dish towel onto the granite island. “Now you are already in my good graces because I had the excuse to make butter chicken for dinner tonight. I do hope you enjoy it. Come, sit down it’s time to eat.” 

Her baba directed them to the dining room and sat next to each other. Simran still seemed nervous. Alma leaned in closer to her. 

“You’re doing great. They already like you,” she whispered. 

“Really?” 

“Mhmm.” 

Her other siblings came crashing into the table. Shira sat across from Alma, with Bahiri next to her. Hikaru was to Shira’s right, which left the other two spots open for her parents. Shira glanced at Simran and winked at her with a smile. Alma rolled her eyes. Bahiri was leaning forward and sizing her up from across the table. Alma kicked his leg underneath which elicited a squawk from him. She hoped the glare she gave him got the message through. Leave her alone. Hikaru had a big smile on his face, excited to meet someone new. When they all sat around the table, Alma introduced them. 

“That’s my sister Bashira, and my brothers Bahiri and Hikaru.” 

“So nice to meet you! Alma body slammed me into the shoe cubby so she could answer the door when you came here,” Hikaru chirped. 

Her baba’s eyes widened. “You did what?” he asked. 

Alma shook her head. “Nothing! Let’s eat. We have a movie to catch soon.” 

She saw her father hide his laughter behind his cup of juice. At least someone was on her side. 

Thankfully, dinner went really well. Simran opened up a little when she realized her entire family was harmless. She and her baba got along well and ended up sharing most of the conversation. Like Shira had done, her dad met her eye and winked with a not so subtle thumbs up in approval. When dinner was finished her parents escorted them to the door. 

“It was lovely meeting you, Simran,” her dad said again. 

“And you as well, Mr. Shir-, I mean, Shiro,” she stumbled. Her face blushed a little and she gave a shy smile. 

Her baba wrapped his arm around her dad’s waist. “Now have her back by her curfew, please. We’d love to have you back over again.” 

“Of course. Thank you again.” 

“Be safe you two!” Her dad warned. 

Alma groaned. “Dad!” 

Her parents laughed and they shut the door behind them. Alma shook her head. “Allah, they can be so embarrassing sometimes.” 

Simran laughed. “They mean well though. You were right though. They are very nice. I do have a question though.” 

“What’s that?”

“Are all of you going to be super tall? Because it makes me look tiny, and I don’t know how I feel about it.” 

Alma laughed and shook her head. She shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, probably? Tall parents mean tall kids right? Or something like that. I promise not to get roped into wearing heeled boots next time.” 

Simran smiled. “Sounds good. Now, let’s get to that movie.” 

Alma took her hand and they walked to Simran’s car. 

It could’ve been worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can see more of the kiddos and ask for more prompts on my tumblr: adashisoul


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An old prompt request on tumblr: this is heartbreaking to ask but adashi first dealing with a baby getting sick 💔

For the last few months, it seemed that Shiro and Adam were running on fumes. Shiro knew that this would happen because that tended to be a universal experience for new parents. Though their daughter, Alma was truly an angel in disguise, she was also just a five-month-old baby. And as a baby, the only way she could communicate to her parents was through gurgles, babbles, and of course, crying. 

That crying is what woke Shiro up. Ever since they had taken Alma home, Shiro went from being able to sleep through a fire, to hearing even the wind blowing waking him up. Adam had always been a light sleeper and was upright after Shiro. It was the middle of the night if his alarm clock was any indicator. Shiro rubbed his eyes trying to get the sleep out and stretched his back and arms. Adam took a sip of water from his nightstand and blindly grabbed for his glasses before putting them on. 

Alma’s little shrieks continued. After a moment, both Adam and Shiro looked at each other, their eyes wide. They had heard all types of screams and cries from their daughter, but this one sounded different. They both launched out of their bed and made their way to her nursery that was next door. They had renovated the guest bedroom into this and added another room for when they held guests in their homes. 

Adam turned on the light but dimmed it so it wouldn’t be too bright. The soft pastel peach color was easy on the eyes. Shiro went over to the crib, where little Alma who was swaddled was crying her lungs out. Her brown skin was flushed red, and her brown eyes were wet with tears. Shiro gently took her out of the crib and did the quick checklist to see if he could determine what was wrong. Adam was gently singing a soft lullaby, and brushing her hair back with his hand and feeling her temperature. 

“She seems hot,” Adam said when he finished. “I’m going to get the thermometer.”

Adam quickly ran out of the room, and Shiro took his turn at gently rocking her. 

“Shh, shh, my little blossom,” he cooed, “your baba is going to be back, and we’ll take care of you.” 

Being held seemed to quell some of the pain from Alma, as she went from shrieking to whimpering. Seeing his daughter in pain, broke Shiro’s heart; even though he knew it wasn’t his fault. As he looked down at her brown eyes, it was hard to believe that she was his. She had all of Adam’s features, except she had inherited the black hair from Shiro. He loved waking up every morning to her, and he loved going to bed knowing she’d be there in the morning. Alma was the most important figure in his life now. 

Adam came back with the things needed. Shiro watched as he put the little plastic cap over the thermometer and walked over. He smiled at his daughter and calmed her with soothing words as he gently placed it toward her ear and pressed the button. Alma started to whimper harder than before. 

“I know my _zarrgiya_ ,” he whispered, “I know it may hurt, but I need to know so I can help you.” 

After a moment he took it out and looked at the number displayed. He cursed before showing it to Shiro. In little text, it read 100.3. Alma was running a fever. Adam quickly tossed the disposable cover in their trash can. 

“Do you know if you treat a fever the same?” Shiro asked. 

Adam shook his head. “I’m no doctor. Let me call Hakim. He’d know.” 

Shiro agreed. Adam’s twin brother was a pediatrician, and luckily he lived only forty-five minutes west of them. Adam left the room to make the call and Shiro tried not to panic in the meantime. He remembered reading that a fever could be potentially fatal for young infants. But he couldn’t remember what age the general cutoff was. And what the temperature would be considered a high fever. 100.3 didn’t sound too terrible. If Shiro or Adam got one like that they would be a bit miserable for a few days, but that would be it. He hoped it wasn’t like that with Alma. Shiro kissed the crown of her head; her hair was like black downy feathers. 

To ease himself, he turned the lights off and then turned the galaxy night light that they had in the nursery. It gently rotated in real-time, showcasing soft light outlines of the constellations in the sky. A soft tune of music accompanied it. Shiro laid down on the soft carpet and positioned himself to support Alma and she could look up too. Slowly her whimpers died and she was wiggling in her swaddle. Shiro let her arms free, and he watched as his daughter reached up towards the stars and cooed at them. 

“Do we have another space explorer on our hands?” Shiro asked her with a small smile. 

Alma babbled as if to say _yes, you do, daddy_. Shiro let out a small chuckle and held her closer to his chest. 

Together they listened to the soothing music and watched as the stars slowly made their way across the ceiling. Shiro was glad that this momentary distraction worked; for both of them. A few minutes later, Adam came back in. He paused when he saw them on the ground and a smile formed his face. With him was a small rag that had warm water on it that he gently placed on Alma’s head. A small sigh was released from her mouth, causing Adam and Shiro to laugh. Shiro’s shirt was getting a little wet from the stray droplets that fell off the ringed out rag, but at that moment he didn’t care. He only cared for Alma. 

“She should be fine. Any higher and we’d be in trouble. He told me to just treat it like a normal fever, and help her break it,” Adam reported. 

“That’s a relief,” Shiro sighed. 

Adam hummed in agreement. “But, Hakim’s going to make a visit tomorrow. Just to make sure.” 

Shiro turned his head to his husband and smirked. “It’s just an excuse to visit his favorite niece.”

“His _only_ niece. And we did the same when Ayeda and Hasan were babes too. You know family means everything to us.” 

Shiro leaned and stole a kiss from Adam. Alma gurgled and gently patted Shiro’s chest. He saw that her brown eyes, the same shade of amber as Adam’s were staring intently. She reached out for both of them. Shiro gently placed her between the two of them. Adam leaned in for a kiss and adjusted the wet rag. 

“Yes, it does. And always will,” Shiro said, looking lovingly at his little family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made it fluffy :) 
> 
> You can always drop an ask to my inbox on my tumblr: adashisoul 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt request from tumblr: Adashi helping baby take her first steps???? Please!!! TAT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come hit me up for a adashi kiddo fic request on my tumblr :) 
> 
> Enjoy!

It had gotten to the point that they had to put the baby gates up around the house again. Not that they ever went away in the first place. When you have a four-year-old and two eleven-month-olds in the house at all times, they tend to not be far away. Alma, Shiro, and Adam’s eldest daughter was a dream child. She was only just a little mischievous, but never complained and usually did as she was told. She loved doting on her younger brother and sister like the loving older sister she was. 

They quickly figured out the personalities of their twins, Bahiri and Bashira though. Unlike Alma who seemed to abhor drama of any kind, and was quieter, the twins did not shy away from being dramatic in any fashion. Bashira had been found to be a very needy child, always wanting to be with at least one of her parents. Though she gave them plenty of laughs too. Bahiri seemed to be on the other side of the same coin, but was more difficult in terms of not wanting to eat his food, and rather throw it across the table; or kick and scream as his diaper was changed. Where there were little trials and tribulations when it came to Alma, the twins seemed to make up for it. 

But like everything else they had done, Adam and Shiro found solutions to their challenges. They both thrived off being challenged and finding ways to overcome them; they always had. It was what made them first best friends, then one of the best flight teams, and how they came to love each other too. 

They had figured out that if you want to get Bahiri to eat his food, Shiro had to make silly faces behind Adam’s back, and smear some of the food onto his nose to get him to laugh and comply. If they wanted Bashira to relax, they either sang a soft lullaby or read a book in a dim room with a lavender scent. Or if they were desperate they used their trump card, which came in the form of their eldest, Alma. She seemed to have the magic touch with both of them, and whatever problems they had, just seeing her face did the trick most times. 

It wasn’t a perfect system, but it worked. 

At eleven months now, the twins had been getting into more trouble than usual. Being able to crawl and stumble their way around brought a whole new set of challenges in the house. Though Alma was usually there to corral them, like some sort of sheepdog. And just for kicks, she sometimes snatched one of them and strapped them to her little stroller she had for her dolls. The first time Adam had seen it he laughed so hard he almost passed out. But still managed to snap a photo of it with one of his many vintage disposable cameras he was so hell-bent on using. 

Shiro had been trying to teach the twins how to walk since they started crawling. He had taken some paternal leave so he could stay at home with the kids this time around, as Adam did it when Alma first joined their little family. Though Shiro loved his work at the Garrison and felt pride at working as hard as he did to reach his status as Admiral, he didn’t find he was missing it all that much when he got to be with his kids all day. Dealing with the minutiae of childhood woes was much better than being bitched at by the brass and navigating the red tape hell of bureaucracy. 

He wasn’t ashamed to say that he dressed up as princesses and fairies, just to make his daughter happy, while screaming, singing children’s songs together and dancing like idiots. Or played pretend while she demanded tea parties with her stuffed animals and imaginary friends. If anyone saw him on the street like that, no matter what reputation he had garnered over the years, he would always put his daughter’s happiness before that. 

Today was no different. He was still trying to get the twins to learn to walk. Music was playing in the living room, and Adam was distracting Alma by baking some cookies together in the kitchen. The sweet aroma of them was already setting Shiro’s stomach off. The windows were open allowing the light of the desert sun and the breeze of the summer wind waft through their home. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon. 

Shiro had Bahiri’s little hands in his as he helped him stand up. Bahiri gurgled and bounced a little as Shiro held him steady. Bashira was clapping her hands in delight watching her brother. Shiro was crawling on his knees and gently leading Bahiri across their carpet. 

“Come on, bud, you can do it,” Shiro coaxed. 

They were able to make it three steps before Bahiri either gave up or was exhausted from the hard work, as he plopped back down onto his butt. He babbled some more and then crawled with speed back to his sister. He watched as the two of them communicated with each other in whatever language babies spoke. 

Adam himself was a twin. He had an identical brother who lived around forty-five minutes from them. The first time Shiro had ever met them, it had been like his brain short-circuited. For the first few minutes of that encounter, he couldn’t tell the difference between the two of them. Thankfully now that they are older and developed distinct styles and personalities from each other, it was ever a wonder he couldn’t tell them apart in the first place. Adam and his twin were about as similar as night and day. Shiro remembered when the twins first started to babble, he asked if he and Hakim had ever developed a secret twin language as babies. Adam scoffed, rolled his eyes, and bopped him with a magazine before walking away. 

Alma came prancing out of the kitchen. Her black hair was plaited into french braids and she wore a cute white floral shirt with a pair of overalls over it. She plopped down in front of the twins and started to tickle their feet. Bahiri and Bashira shrieked over it, kicking at their older sister, as Alma laughed at them. 

“How are they doing?” she asked. 

Shiro let out a sigh and laid down on the carpet next to Alma. He gently tugged the edges of her braids, twirling her hair around his fingers. 

“We’re getting there. It takes some time,” Shiro replied. 

Alma rolled around so she was resting her head in her hands and leaning her weight on her elbows. Her hands smushed her chubby cheeks up to her face, causing Shiro to chuckle. He loved how much Alma looked like a mini Adam. She reminded him of Adam when they first met; awkward pre-teens figuring out their way through the world, and themselves too. 

“Maybe you’re just not giving them the right motivation,” she said. 

Shiro mirrored Alma’s position on the floor. He made sure that the troublemakers were still in his line of sight. The last thing they needed was them distracting Adam in the kitchen. He looked at Alma’s bright brown eyes, the same shade of amber as Adam’s. Already he could see just how intelligent and clever his daughter was. Just like her baba. 

“What do you mean by that, little blossom?” he wondered. 

Alma started to pump her legs up and down in the air as she thought about what to say next. Shiro could practically see the thought bubble above her head. She turned towards the kitchen where they could hear Adam singing softly to himself as he puttered around in his kitchen. 

“Well, baba is making some of his kulche badami cookies, and Bahiri and Bashira both like sweets,” Alma observed. 

It was true. It was a quick discovery that both twins had a sweet tooth and much prefer that to savory things. And Adam’s Afghan almond cookies were to die for, even if you didn’t like sweets that much. He thought of Alma’s words and slowly put the pieces together. Shiro smiled at his daughter and ruffled her hair. Alma scoffed, very similar, and reminiscent of how Adam does and fixed her flyaways. 

“My little blossom, you are a genius!” Shiro exclaimed. 

He heard the timer go off from the kitchen meaning the cookies were done. Shiro got up from his place on the ground and went in to see how they looked. Adam gently put the tray down on the cooling rack and set another timer for them to cool down on. Shiro looked at the beautiful brown cracked dough, as Adam gently put some powdered sugar and almond garnishes on top of the soft dough. He leaned down to sniff in their wonderful smell. 

“Ah! Get away you little fox, they’re not ready yet,” Adam exclaimed, pushing Shiro’s face away from the cookies. 

Shiro groaned. “But they smell so good.” 

Adam washed his hands in the sink. “I am aware of that. But they’ll taste better if you actually have that sense about you still instead of burning it off. Like you always do.” 

Shiro pouted at the callout. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “Well, that was rude.” 

“Truth hurts sometimes, Takashi,” Adam teased. His husband looked back and winked at him. 

He waited impatiently for the timer to go off. When it did he grabbed a small plate and picked up three cookies. Then he went back to the living room where the kids were exactly where he left them. He gave one cookie to Alma who had a big grin across her face. She practically shoved the entire cookie into her mouth in one go. Shiro took his in two, savoring the sweet taste of it. The smell seemed to have caught the twins’ attention because they were babbling and reaching their little arms towards Shiro and his plate. 

“Ah, ah, ah my little dragons,” he tsked at them. He broke the cookie into smaller pieces for them to eat. 

“You going to help me?” he asked Alma. She nodded her head in excitement. 

He gave her a small piece and took another in his own hand. He put the plate on the coffee table and they walked to the other side of the carpet. Shiro got back down to his knees. 

“Let’s make it a competition,” Alma suggested. 

“Oh yeah?” Shiro asked with a smirk. Her sense of competitiveness was also highly reminiscent of his husband. Alma really was a mini Adam. 

“Whoever’s baby walks first wins. Even better if they reach the cookie,” she said. 

“And what’s the prize?” 

“Your pride.” 

A laugh ripped out of Shiro. He held his hand out. 

“You’re on, little blossom.” Alma spat in hers and they shook on it. 

Alma had Bahiri in her lane, while Shiro took Bashira. Both twins were looking at them, their gray eyes wide looking at the cookies in their hands. 

“Bahiri, come here bud, get your cookie,” Alma cheered. 

Bahiri then began the race. He started to crawl towards her. Shiro could see that Alma was mimicking a walking movement to try and get her brother to stand up on his own legs and walk instead of crawl. Bashira seemed to be a tougher crowd. She had been distracted watching her brother crawl and was no longer paying attention to Shiro. 

“Shira, come here love,” Shiro cooed. 

His voice brought her back to his attention. He waved the cookie in front of her trying to entice her. Slowly she put one hand forward and took a crawling step. But she kept looking over at Bahiri and Alma. Alma was now jumping up and down, going from standing to back on her knees. 

“Come on Bahiri. Walk! Like this!” she exclaimed, doing another demonstration. It was more of a jump, but the message was the same. 

All of the noise must have brought Adam out. He came from the kitchen and he looked dumbfounded at what he was seeing. He walked over to the couch and leaned his arms against the back of it. 

“What is happening right now?” he asked. 

“Competition to see who’s twin can walk first!” Alma exclaimed. “I think I’m winning. Bahiri, _stand up_!” 

Adam adjusted his glasses. “Uh, okay. I guess that’s one way of going about it.” 

“Bashira, my little mochi ball, come on. Walk for daddy,” Shiro cooed. 

His daughter gurgled and he could see she was drooling. But she was casually crawling her way, in no rush. She didn’t know what was at stake here.

“Walk! Walk! W-A-L-K!” Alma screamed. “Like this!” 

This time she was power walking in place and then went about jumping up and down. Her braids were flying around her face. He saw Bahiri start to giggle, a smile showing off his new baby teeth. Then he got into position and pushed himself up into a standing position. His chubby legs wobbled underneath this new weight. Alma screamed in delight. 

“He’s standing! He’s standing! Good job, Bahiri. Now walk for me. One foot in front of the other!” 

She held the cookie in front of her. Bahiri was making grabby hands at it, and Shiro watched as he took one wobbly step forward. He almost fell down, surprise on his face. But he quickly recovered. He took another until he reached Alma’s hand with the cookie. 

“ _YES!_ Yes, yes, yes, yes! I win! I win!” Alma cheered. She picked up her brother and spun him around a few times in her arms. 

Bahiri giggled and happily ate his cookie, powdered sugar getting all over his face. 

He let Bashira crawl the rest of the way and claim her prize as well. He grabbed her and kissed her chubby cheeks. Bashira giggled and happily ate her cookie. 

“Well done, Alma. You have defeated me fair and square,” he declared. They shook hands in a sense of good sportsmanship. 

“We’ll get them next time,” he whispered in Bashira’s ear. She didn’t have a care in the world. 

“That was thoroughly entertaining,” Adam commented. 

He turned to see his husband had that infamous little disposable camera in his hands. He shook it with a small smile. Shiro rolled his eyes. 

“You should’ve taken a video.” 

Adam hopped the couch and then sat himself down with the rest of his family. He took out his phone from his pocket and waved it. 

“Don’t worry. I did.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on tumblr :) 
> 
> Comments are always welcome! Thanks or reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt from tumblr! 
> 
> Adashi dealing with Bahari's first crush
> 
> Enjoy!

When Bahiri had come home from hockey practice, Adam immediately zeroed in on his different mood. He had been starting the preparations for dinner that night but waiting until his eldest son came home to help him with it. Cooking together was one of the things that they did to bond with each other, and it worked wonders. Adam had found that it helped channel Bahiri’s intense emotions into a safe and productive way, rather than lashing out. They did not need another knife incident, which led to him getting surgery on tendons in his wrist. 

“Hello, _zigara_. How was your day?” Adam asked as Bahiri took his shoes off and put them in their designated cubby. 

He dropped the duffle bag filled with his hockey equipment until it was dangling in his hand. Bahiri ran a hand through his still sweat-soaked hair and shrugged his shoulders. 

“It was fine. I’ll be out in a few minutes after I shower,” Bahiri said as he made his way into his room before Adam could get a word in. 

[Keep reading](https://adashisoul.tumblr.com/post/619761424241180672/adashi-dealing-with-baharis-first-crush)

Adam continued to prepare the various ingredients that would be needed for dinner. Bahiri came out a few minutes later, looking refreshed and clean. His black hair, which was getting on the longer side, was combed back. Adam joked that the hair was due to Hakim’s influence, but Bahiri just insisted that it was just part of the “hockey hair look”, whatever that meant. His son was already dressed in his pajamas, a white t-shirt that had his travel hockey team logo on it, and a pair of sweatpants. 

As they followed their daily ritual, they both got their aprons on and split the tasks for dinner. Adam had been slowly letting Bahiri do more of the preparation and cooking while being more of a guide to the process. Adam loved watching how this calmed his son, and how at home he was chopping vegetables and cooking various dishes. 

Adam always put on his cooking playlist while they were in the kitchen. It was really just instrumental tracks that Adam liked, and felt calmed him down after a stressful day. He was happy when Bahiri decided not to fight Adam on it, unlike his own husband who unsuccessfully campaigned for more upbeat music in the kitchen. The soft tones of Strauss’ _Blue Danube_ played softly, mingling in with the natural music of cutting, and stirring, and the fan on to keep air circulating and not overheat the kitchen. 

It was always like this. They worked together in comfortable silence, not needing to talk to fill in the spaces. Adam knew that Bahiri always thawed out, and when he was ready to speak, he would come to him. That was a bit of a trial by fire with Adam, who had tried to understand his son, with his intense feelings, and his internal angst and anger. But Adam never gave up, and they finally found an accord with each other. 

“Do you think we can make baklava after dinner?” Bahiri asked suddenly. 

The question took Adam by surprise. They didn’t usually make desserts unless it was a special occasion. Adam tried to think of any dates that would warrant it. 

“What for?” he said, turning towards his son. 

Bahiri’s gray eyes, the same beautiful ones that he inherited from his husband, were intently on the pot where he stirred the _qorma e rawash_ , the lamb and rhubarb stew. After a minute, he put the lid back on, trapping the aromas of the flavors, letting it stew for a few minutes, allowing the rhubarb and lamb to become tender. 

Bahiri leaned against the granite island and crossed his arms. Adam mirrored him, watching his son’s pinched expression. His lips were pursed and he looked deep in thought. Adam waited for him to get the right words. 

“For Danelle,” he finally said. 

Adam raised his eyebrows. “Oh, is it her birthday tomorrow?” 

Danelle was Bahiri’s best friend since they were in elementary school. He loved the girl like she was one of his own children, and was never surprised when he saw that she was at the house. She was one of the nicest and kindest girls Adam had ever met. She was also able to match Bahiri’s energy and keep up with him. She was a star athlete, and had won many competitions, and played in a top travel soccer team. She also wasn’t afraid to knock him down a few pegs when his head got too big. Adam was grateful for her. 

Bahiri shook his head. “No, her birthday is in January.” 

“ _Oh_ ,” Adam said. 

He watched his son’s face carefully. Slowly some red-tinted his cheeks, and a lightbulb went up into his head. Adam gasped.

“Oh,” he repeated, knowing in his voice. “You like her.” 

Bahiri growled and his face flushed more with his blush. 

“Did my ears hear that right?” the voice of Takashi came suddenly. 

They both looked back and his husband came into the kitchen. He dramatically took in a deep breath. 

“Smells great. So what’s this about Bahiri liking someone?” he asked, leaning his elbows on the opposite side of the counter. 

He was still in his Admiral uniform, meaning he probably just got out of a meeting that couldn’t have waited until tomorrow. 

“Bahiri has a little crush on Dany,” Adam stated. 

Bahiri groaned, dropping his head into his hands, as Takashi’s mouth dropped open and his eyes lit up. Shiro leaned forward ruffling Bahiri’s hair with his hand. 

“You picked the right person to have a crush on! I love Dany!” Shiro said. 

“I need you both to stop being _so embarrassing_!” Bahiri said into his hands.

“Bahiri likes Dany?” Bashira joined in. 

Bahiri’s twin sister was the biggest gossip of all the kids. Her light brown hair was up in two high buns on the side of her head. Her gray eyes wide behind her round glasses. She was also already in her pajamas, a floral tank top, and shorts. She clapped her hands and squealed. 

“I knew this day would come!” 

“Dany is the only one who can handle you,” Alma quipped. She had snuck in behind Bashira who was still going on about how exciting this was. The eldest of their children had a smirk on her face, her amber eyes bright. She walked over to her younger brother and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

“You know I meant it as a compliment,” she added. Bahiri gave her the finger in response. 

“Hey watch the crude gestures,” Adam said, though he knew it was a lost cause. 

Hearing all the commotion, Hikaru finally came out to see what was happening. Bashira jumped on the opportunity to tell her youngest brother the newest gossip. Hikaru gaped and ran over to give his older brother a big hug. 

“Dany is the best! What are you going to get her? Did you ask her out yet?” he bombarded. 

“I hate all of you,” Bahiri mumbled. 

“He wants to make some baklava for her,” Adam said, deducing what the reason was. 

“An excuse to eat baklava! Yes, Bahiri you are a genius!” Bashira screeched. She grabbed her brother and lifted him up to spin him around. Bahiri let out a squawk of surprise and he tried to push out of her tight grip. 

“Get off of me, Shira!” he protested. 

After getting one more spin in she dropped her brother to the ground. She had a bashful smile on her round face. “Sorry. I’m just so excited!” 

Hikaru clasped his hands. “No, he remembered that Dany loves Baba’s baklava! That’s so romantic!” he cooed. 

Bahiri moaned. “Oh my god.” 

“Oh my little dragon, it’s our job as your family to embarrass you. And it’s because we love you,” Takashi said. 

Bahiri scoffed. “That’s what you always say.” He turned to Adam. “So now that the news is out, can we make them? I want to give them to her tomorrow at school.” 

Adam smiled brightly. He was happy that he wanted to make a nice gesture to his best friend and now a potential girlfriend. 

“Of course. You just have to swear to tell us how it goes tomorrow. Better or worse we’ll be here to support you.” 

Then the timer went off, letting them know that dinner was about to be ready. He turned to the rest of his family. 

“Okay, all of you be useful. Set the table for us,” Adam instructed. 

His family knew the drill by then. Four figures scurried about in the kitchen getting plates, silverware, napkins, and cups out of the cabinets to set the dining table for dinner while Bahiri and Adam checked the food one last time. 

“Dany would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend, but don’t lose your friendship either,” Adam advised.

Bahiri gave a bashful smile now that they were alone again. He nodded his head. 

“ _Manana_ , baba,” Bahiri said in a low voice. A thank you. 

Adam wrapped one arm around his son’s shoulders and brought him close. He kissed the top of his mop of black hair. Bahiri didn’t fight but he rolled his eyes at the open affection showed. 

“ _Pakhair raghley, zigara_.” But then he pointed a finger. “And I saw that eye roll.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Bahiri waved off with a smirk on his face. 

Adam knew that was one of his ways of saying _I love you_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it a true family if they don't make you want to hide in a hole? Poor Bahiri :p 
> 
> Drop a comment down below! And if you want to see more of these kids, drop an ask at my tumblr @adashisoul :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family has a serious discussion after an incident happens at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt from tumblr: adashi reacting to their kid getting in trouble at school? 
> 
> Warning there is some sensitive content mentioned in the beginning, but it is not explicitly shown. 
> 
> Not edited or beta'd.

They all sat in the car together, and the silence was so tense and thick that Shiro was sure if he had a knife, he’d be able to cut through it. Shiro and Adam had been called into the school where their kids currently attended because Bahiri had gotten into trouble, and the principal thought to have a meeting about it. 

Shiro would never admit it to anyone, but getting that call had filled him with just a little bit of relief because it allowed him to postpone a meeting he had been dreading all week. But he also worried because the secretary at the high school had been vague and just a bit ominous with her message, telling them that Bahiri and Alma had been involved in some sort of altercation and they were needed at the school ASAP. 

Adam had uncharacteristically driven like a mad man to the public school, not caring about the rules of the road, even on the interstate to get there. Shiro had never seen his husband drive like that, not even when their kids were born. Shiro had found himself white-knuckling hand rest above the window, as Adam cut off people to make the right exit. He had taken one look at his husband’s face, and the steely look in his eyes to not say anything. 

They had then sat through a conference with the principal, the vice principals, the school psychologist, and the resource officer. Three of their four kids were sitting in the back of the room, in various states of distress and anger. 

Adam had quickly turned into Dean of the Academy mode when he realized the conversation was not going anywhere he liked, along with the mode of a concerned parent. He asked for the story first and then asked to hear it from both sides, to understand the reasoning of the incident. He then asked questions about what they had done, using the resources they had in their budget and disposal. 

They had learned that someone had thought it funny to try and pull Alma’s hijab off in the hallway during school. Bahiri and Bashira had also happened to be in the premises at the moment of the incident; Bashira, along with some of Alma’s friends had immediately gone over to her sister and Bashira covered her with her large body so Alma was protected to fix her hijab, and comforting her. Bahiri had gone for the more hands-on approach, and immediately confronted him and proceeded to get into a fistfight. When Alma had finished, Bashira had asked if she was okay before joining her brother with the fight and spouted out some very unsavory language at the boy. It had taken two teachers and the resource officer to break up the fight, and they were then sent to the principal’s office and had been there since.

They had been horrified by the whole incident. Even the parents of the offender had a look of shock and Shiro could see they were uncomfortable. Shiro saw that there was a fire in Adam’s amber eyes. Adam almost never got angry, and when he did he never yelled. He usually just got very quiet and tense until he was able to talk it out, and then he usually went to pray alone and meditate before he was okay again. 

The verdict was that the offender would be suspended for a week, while Bashira and Bahiri would deal with in-school suspension for a week. Shiro knew that Adam was not a big fan of suspension as a punishment tactic, and he had abolished it in his own school. There were much more productive ways to teach kids lessons rather than using harsh punishments where they are taken away and isolated from others. He had ripped into the parents a little, telling them to become more educated and teach their children that it’s not right to do acts such as that no matter what anyone said. Shiro believed he put the fear of God into them, just a little. Like he said, Adam never yelled. 

They pulled into the driveway of their home and sat there for a few minutes. Adam still had his hands on the steering wheel. 

“Aba?” Bahiri ventured, in a soft voice. 

“We’ll discuss this inside. Neighbors don’t need to hear this private matter,” Adam replied as he turned off the car and stalked into their home. 

Shiro followed, and he could see that there was apprehension in their eyes. Hikaru hadn’t been in the meeting, but he had gotten the gist of it from his siblings. Shiro sighed and stopped them before they entered. 

“What do you think Aba is going to do?” Bashira whispered she had tears gathering in her eyes. 

“Whatever bad thoughts you are thinking, get expel them. You know your aba. He is probably more frustrated with himself than he is angry with you. We’re going to talk it out as a family, and we will recover as one too, okay?” Shiro said, trying to reassure them. 

A sniffle was heard from Bashira, and they all nodded silently. Shiro could hear Adam puttering around in the kitchen. He ushered their kids to the dining room table to sit tight, while Shiro went to the kitchen to join his husband. He watched as Adam had a kettle on the stove, and he was waiting for the water to boil like it was the most interesting thing. Shiro could see that whatever semblance of anger that had been on Adam’s face had now subsided for sadness and frustration. 

“How are you feeling?” Shiro asked, breaking the silence. 

Adam let out a sigh and shook his head. “I’m having a lot of conflicting thoughts.” 

Shiro nodded. “I know, me too. It’s been a long day.”

Adam then went over and took some apples and a knife. He started to cut them up into slices, no doubt for some snacks. Even when he was frustrated he couldn’t help provide for his family. Finally, the kettle started to whistle, and Shiro helped prepare the tea the way Adam had taught him. (The right way, he insisted, because loose tea that was filtered was so much better than bagged tea.) The soft aroma of chamomile was already soothing Shiro as he steeped it exactly as Adam liked it. Adam placed the sliced apples in a small bowl and brought some peanut butter to accompany it. He also took out the silver tray that he used to serve guests, and put the teacups, saucers, the sugar, milk, the bowl of apples, and the kettle on it, and walked out to the dining room. 

The kids were sitting in silence with each other, as Adam gently put the tray on the table and distributed the cups and saucers for everyone. 

“Chaai?” he asked. They all nodded, and Adam poured them a cup.

They all took it how they liked it, and Bashira was the first to grab an apple slice and put a good dollop of peanut butter on it and munch. When everyone was served, Adam finally sat down across from all of them. 

“The first thing I want to know is how are you all feeling?” Adam started. He turned his attention to their eldest. “Alma, _ladla_?”

It was one of the many pet names Adam had given their children. He told Shiro it meant “apple of my eye”, which he thought hilarious because, in Turkish, Alma means apple. Adam had an odd sense of humor sometimes, but Shiro loved it. 

Alma had always tried to be the strongest. She kept her feelings close to her chest and hated to cry in front of others. He could see that the event still shook her, and Shiro could see that she was trying to be strong now. Adam had moved his chair and put his hand close to hers, gently rubbing her fingers as he did when she was young. Her amber eyes were on the table, watching the steam come off the tea and her face was closed off. But Shiro could see she was trying hard to hold her tears at bay. He watched as Adam leaned in and whispered something to her that Shiro didn’t hear. Whatever it was, Alma nodded and wiped her nose. Then he turned his attention back to the twins. 

“Bahiri, Bashira? How are you feeling?” he asked. 

Bahiri’s body language was closed off. He was leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed, and his face was pinched. Bashira was obviously nervous still. Bahiri shrugged his shoulders but didn’t say anything. 

“I’m sorry, Aba,” Bashira finally said with a sniffle. She ate another apple. 

“I’m not,” Bahiri finally said. 

Adam latched on to that. “Why is that?” he asked, taking a sip of his tea. 

Bahiri got a spark in his eyes, and he leaned forward his hands splayed out on the table. “Because he deserved it! He disrespected Alma, by doing something horrible. You know the saying; ‘The stone of Pashto does not rust in water.’” 

Adam’s eyebrows rose at the familiar phrase. “You actually paid attention to those lessons?” 

Bahiri scoffed and Adam shook his head. “Okay, not getting off-topic. I understand your anger, and you are justified in it. I understand. But violence is not the answer.” 

“Maybe not for you. But he wouldn’t have listened to words. Sometimes the only way to get the message through is through fighting, Bahiri defended. 

“ _Badal_ , _sabat_ , and _naamus_ ,” he added. The use of getting revenge, loyalty to family, and the protection of women. 

Then he pointed to his sister. “Don’t forget, Shira got involved too!” 

Adam sighed and pushed his glasses up to his hair and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“You have taken the wrong lessons from the Pashtunwali. We also have _nanawatai._ Forgiveness. You cannot cherry-pick what you learn from it,” Adam rebutted. “And it is not your place for that, it is your sister’s.” 

Bahiri went silent after, thinking of the words Adam said. He took a sip of his tea. 

“Well, at least it is only ISS,” Bashira said, trying to look on the bright side. 

Adam let out another sigh. “I wish you weren’t suspended at all, but I do understand why it could have escalated as quickly as it did. I am sorry that you still must experience things like this.” 

Shiro reached over and grabbed Adam’s hand and kissed it. Adam gave a small smile in gratitude. 

“I am not angry, nor am I disappointed in you. I am disappointed and angry at the situation. But we are strong, and I know we can all take the high road from this. And one stint in ISS won’t jeopardize you in the future. It’s just going to be a very boring week for you two coming up,” Adam said.

Bahiri and Bashira groaned in unison. Shiro chuckled a little. He saw that even Alma had cracked a small smile. 

“ _Ladla_ , whatever you want for dinner, _and_ dessert is law tonight,” Adam offered. 

It was a small gesture, and Shiro was sure he was going to talk to her alone later on. But it was a boon nonetheless. Alma could see the gesture for what it was, and her eyes lit up. 

“Anything?” she asked. 

Adam nodded. “Anything.” 

Hikaru groaned. “Aw man,” he turned to his eldest sister. “Alma, please choose kuche badami! I can practically taste the almond and cardamom!” 

His brown eyes rolled to the back of his head dramatically as he hung his tongue out. Alma laughed and pushed his head away. “Maybe I want to eat some okoshi for dessert,” she joked. 

Shiro brightened at the idea of one of his own favorite Japanese desserts. Shiro raised his hand. 

“I’m in favor of that,” he piped up. 

“Of course you are, daddy,” Hikaru said. But then a smile broke on his face, his sunny demeanor back. “But I’ll eat whatever Alma wants because she has good taste.” 

“You’re just sucking up to her,” Bahiri complained, his eyes narrowed to his younger brother. 

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders and went over to Alma and shoved his way through her arms so she could hug him from behind. 

“Nothing wrong with that, Bahiri.” 

“Okay, okay. Everyone go relax a little, it’s time for dinner. Alma, do you wish to join me?” 

Alma grimaced. She took after Shiro and wasn’t that great at cooking. Adam smiled and ran a gentle hand over her shoulder. 

“Understood. Go relax, _jani_.” He leaned in and placed a kiss on her head before leaving the kitchen. 

Things were at least back to some semblance of normal in the house again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! It was a heavier piece for sure, but sometimes life gets heavy and messy. 
> 
> Drop a comment below! 
> 
> You can find me screaming about the kids on tumblr @adashisoul


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from tumblr: adashi fam on a roller coaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic prompt request from tumblr! Enjoy :)

Hikaru came skipping out of the basement, and in his hand he was waving something back and forth. 

“Look what I found! _Look at what I found_!” he chanted around the foyer of the house. 

It was winter break for all of the kids, who scrambled back home from college the moment they could. Adam was open in telling how happy he was to have them all under his roof again, even if it is for just a small amount of time. He did not take to being an empty nester well. Takashi handled it better, but there were times when it was just the two of them alone in the house, where they would miss the noise that came with having four other bodies around. Ironic, because when they were actually raising them if they could have a moment of silence and quiet they snatched it up and held it to their chest as if they were afraid it would slip through their fingers. 

But Adam thrived on taking care of the people he loves. He wanted his kids back and wished they didn’t choose schools that took them so far away from him, selfish as it was. So when they came back for those measly few weeks for breaks, he made sure to get the best use of every minute he had with them. 

Adam had been in the dining room, trying (in vain) to answer all the emails and get through the necessary paperwork before he had to start prepping for dinner. It was times like this where Adam thought seriously about the idea of retiring from his position as the Dean of the Academy. He missed being in a classroom desperately sometimes, and it often left an aching hole in his heart. It was so much better dealing with kids every day and seeing them grow into themselves than dealing with stuffy adults who were too stubborn in their ways to grow at all. He still had a few months to decide. And it was a sweet temptation. 

He looked up from his computer at Hikaru, who was still parading around. His excitement got the other kids to peek their heads out of their rooms. Takashi was outside cleaning the pool, but through the clear back doors, he could see that at one point he had come inside, gotten a beer for himself, and was now sitting in a chair watching the automatic cleaner do its job. Adam rolled his eyes fondly at his husband. Takashi had been the smart one and decided to take a nice early retirement package that the Garrison had offered him, with his full pension and benefits intact. He still hung around the Garrison sometimes, when they needed special guest speakers or specialized advice. He did some subbing for the Academy too, and around the local public schools. And like they had done when they were both young and fresh officers, they did some volunteer work, giving fun science lessons to at-risk youth, at the local YMCA. It kept Takashi busy, which was the most important thing. 

“What is that?” Alma asked as she left her room. 

Hikaru went over to her and practically shoved the thing in his hand. “A videotape!” 

Alma raised her eyebrows as she took the tape from her youngest brother. She inspected both sides. Bahiri and Bashira had joined in to look at it. 

“Why do we even have this?” Bahiri said.

Bashira let out a small chuckle. “Yeah, this technology is literally so ancient!” 

Adam had left his work at the table because he needed a break, and this was the perfect opportunity. He came up behind his four kids, who had somehow grown almost as tall as him. 

“Because I enjoy looking at and having relics. It’s a home video,” Adam explained. 

All four of them let out an “ohhhhhh.” Adam smiled and gently grabbed the tape from Alma’s hands. On the front, written in his familiar handwriting labeling the tape as “Bashira on the Barnstormer”. It brought a memory that he had long forgotten but always made him laugh hard. It was also a pretty famous video among the entire family. 

“This is one of my favorites,” Adam said. 

Bashira crossed her arms and pouted. “I remember it now. Hikaru, why did you pick this one?” 

Hikaru beamed at his sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Because it’s hilarious!” 

Alma let out a chuckle and Bahiri gave a devious smirk. Adam wanted to watch it, just for fun. 

“Come on, let’s watch it. Hikaru get the player from the basement and hook it up. I’ll get your father inside,” Adam instructed. 

Bashira let out a dramatic groan, as the other kids scrambled around to get things ready. Adam gave the tape to his youngest daughter. 

“One day I’m gonna burn this tape,” she grumbled. 

“My _shirina,_ you know I have copies of everything. I just like the way a video camera holds,” Adam said. 

She glared at him, but he could see that she didn’t mean anything by it. Adam kissed her on the crown of her head, just like when she was little to reassure her. “Go on, help your siblings.” 

Bashira nodded and followed her siblings down to the basement. Adam opened the clear doors that led to their little backyard. Takashi was still lounging in his chair, his sunglasses on. His phone was playing some soft music from a radio station. He took a casual sip of his beer from the can. 

“How’s cleaning the pool going?” Adam asked as he sat down on the other chair across the small table. 

Takashi smirked. “It’s going great.” He waved in the general direction of the ladybug cleaner. 

Adam let out a hum. “Real hard work you’re doing.” 

“Oh yeah,” he said, taking another sip. “What brings you out here, my love?” 

Adam rolled his eyes at the affectionate name, but still loved how it filled him with warmth inside. He blocked the sun from his eyes, feeling the heat of the summer sun on him. He could see that Takashi was already starting to look a little red. 

“First off, I hope you put sunscreen on because I don’t want to hear you complaining about it.” 

Takashi opened his mouth to say something but Adam cut him off with raising his hand. 

“Second, Hikaru found an old family video in the basement. We’re gonna watch it if you wish to join us.” 

His husband lifted his sunglasses, his gray eyes alight. “Oooh, which one?” 

“Bashira and the Barnstormer,” Adam said. Takashi let out a loud laugh, throwing his head back. 

“Classic! Of course, I’ll watch it. It never gets old!” 

Takashi finished off his beer and then stood up. But not without letting some groans come out. Adam stood up and held out a hand for his husband to take. 

“You’re getting old,” Adam joked. 

Takashi scoffed. “You’re older than I am.”

“A month is not a big difference.” 

“But still. And you know my birthday is once every four years so really, I am much younger than you.” 

“Oh hush up. You can’t use that excuse when it suits you.” 

“Of course I can! It’s my birthday we’re talking about here.” 

“Whatever, Takashi.” 

By the time they walked back into the house, he could see that the kids were all kneeling on the ground and huddled around the television. They were all trying to talk over each other and arguing. 

“No you have to plug it in this way,” Bahiri insisted. 

“No, it’s easy you dummies. Red to red, yellow to yellow, white to white,” Bashira argued. “Even my seven year olds can figure this out!” 

“C’mon guys, we can figure this out. There have to be directions somewhere right?” Hikaru said, ever trying to be the peacekeeper between them all. 

“Fuck directions, we can figure it out ourselves,” Bahiri declared. 

Alma had separated herself quietly and was fiddling with the remote to get it to the right settings. The other three didn’t seem to notice her absence. Takashi and Adam watched it with fondness. Some things never changed it seemed. 

“Guys,” Alma said. The others didn’t hear, too busy bickering with each other about other things now. 

Alma sighed. “Guys, hey! Listen up!” she yelled, kicking her siblings in the ankles. 

Bashira and Bahiri let out an “ow!” at the same time. Hikaru’s head popped up, his brown hair a mess, and his eyes wide. The eldest pointed to the TV screen. 

“It’s working, put the tape in,” she said. 

Hikaru’s brown eyes lit up and he had a big smile. He jumped up pumping his fist in the air. “Woohoo! We did it!” 

Bahiri grabbed the tape from his hands, causing Hikaru to sputter. “Hey!” 

“You’re taking too long,” Bahiri reasoned before he shoved the tape in. 

“Good, you are actually using teamwork,” Adam said, joking. 

Adam and Takashi sat down on the couch, and the kids took the seats available. Alma still had control over the remote as she pressed play. The video began, with a young Bashira sitting next to Takashi. 

They had gone on a family vacation to Disney World one summer when they were little. They had ridden every ride they could get on and took all the photos. They had never been before so it was a fun experience for all of them. During the day they had gone on the small rollercoaster, called the Barnstormer. It was a kiddie ride, and Bahiri had insisted ongoing, so they all did. Adam had sat next to Alma, while Bahiri had taken his seat next to Hikaru. Bashira had acted cool and uninterested in the ride but insisted on sitting next to Takashi. 

Adam had filmed them, as they ascended the first hill of the coaster. Bashira still looked uninterested and had her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Takashi was smiling and waving to the camera and had his other arm around Bashira. 

“ _Say hi, Shira!_ ” Adam said behind the camera. 

Bashira had glared at Adam and was pouty. From behind them Hikaru and Bahiri were waving and shouting. 

“ _Hi, Aba! Can you see me?_ ” Bahiri asked. 

“ _Hi Bahiri, I can see you_.” 

“ _Oh look how high we are!_ ” Hikaru exclaimed, looking over the side. The other kids followed suit, looks of shock on their faces. 

Bashira finally seeing how high they were, her cool facade cracked. Her gray eyes widened and she looked scared. 

“ _Ahh!_ ” she screamed. “ _I don’t want to ride this anymore!_ ” 

“ _Aww, Shira. My mochi ball, it’s okay_ ,” Takashi said going closer to her.

Then they started to go down the hill and it started to pick up speed. Adam and the kids were screaming with excitement behind the camera. Takashi lifted his hands up in the air. Bashira had started to cry and started to shriek. Takashi was laughing but trying to reassure her. The video went on like that until the end. When they pulled into the loading bay, Bashira had wiped her eyes and was glaring at the camera again. 

“ _Did you have fun?_ ” Adam asked. 

“ _That was torture_!” She screamed. “ _I’m never going on this again!_ ” 

Bahiri was jumping up and down in a circle. “ _That was the awesomest roller coaster ever!”_

Hikaru, always wanting to mimic and follow his brother, was jumping too. “ _Let’s do it again! Let’s do it again!_ ” 

The video cut out then. At the time, Adam had felt horrible for his daughter. For years, Bashira refused to go on rollercoasters again. But they can look back on it now and laugh hard about things like this. 

Hikaru clapped his hands. “I brought up a whole box of these bad boys. Let’s watch another!” 

“Yeah let’s find one embarrassing about you guys instead,” Bashira protested. 

Adam and Takashi laughed. “There’s plenty to be found I’m sure,” Adam said. 

“Oh yeah. You guys never lacked for entertainment that’s for sure,” Takashi said. 

They watched as the four of them began to bicker about which video to watch next. And which one was the funniest one. Adam cuddled close to Takashi, content with his family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come hit me up on tumblr @adashisoul 
> 
> Comments are always welcome :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birth of Miss Alma Wali-Shirogane :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt request from tumblr!
> 
> "I'd love to hear about the moment Adashi got to see/hold any of their kids for the first time" 
> 
> Not beta'd or edited

As the third trimester started, Adam got more anxious than usual. He tried to hide it, as not to worry his husband and all their friends, but he couldn’t help it; this was going to be their first child. He was going to be a dad, and that was a big deal. They had been stocking up on all the essentials needed and talking to their friends who already had kids on their own to take notes on. The nursery had come along nicely, with calming peach color and other soft decors to make it easy on the eyes. 

But he tried to go about things as normal, for the sake of his own sanity. That meant Takashi and him driving to work together as they always did. 

“Do you think today is the day?” Adam asked. 

His husband was driving the car today, so his eyes were firmly on the road ahead of them. He smiled at Adam’s question. 

“You ask me this every day, and my answer stays the same. I don’t think so. Desi still has six weeks to go,” he replied. 

Desi or Desiree was the surrogate for their baby. She worked at the Garrison with Takashi and was a good friend of theirs for years. Back when they were just starting their careers, Takashi had trained Desiree herself when she joined his squad of fighter pilots. Her callsign had been Inferno because of her fiery personality. When they had started talking with their friends about the options for their family, Desiree had volunteered to help carry their baby for them. She called it “lesbian, gay solidarity”. 

Normally, Takashi would drop Adam off at the Academy, but he wanted to check up on Desiree like he did every week. They parked the car in his nice designated spot as the newly minted Admiral, and they entered the front doors of the Garrison. Everyone they passed stood at attention and saluted Takashi as he walked by. Adam could tell he was trying not to roll his eyes. No matter how many times he told people not to do that, well, old habits tend to die hard. 

“Good morning, Admiral Shirogane,” they would say before turning to Adam. “Dr. Wali.” 

They would reply with the pleasantries in turn. They walked until they made it to the cafeteria, where they knew Desiree would be that early. Sitting at one of the tables was the woman they were looking for. 

Her black hair was pulled up into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She wore the typical orange and white uniform that was standard for the Garrison. Takashi skipped to the table and sat himself down next to Desiree, who was reading something on her tablet, with her steaming cup of tea in front of her, munching on a blueberry muffin. 

“Good morning, Desi,” Takashi greeted. 

She didn’t answer him for a moment, finishing whatever page she was on before putting the tablet down. She took another bite of her muffin. Her green eyes looked up, glaring at Takashi. She was not a morning person. 

“How are you always so chipper in the morning?” she grumbled. 

Adam sat down on her other side and scoffed. “It’s an act. You should see him trying to get up every morning. I’m always close to just dumping water on him.” 

Desiree let out a curt “ha!” She took a sip of her tea and sighed. “God I can’t wait to drink caffeine again.” 

“Soon, Desi, soon,” Takashi said, rubbing her shoulder. She leaned into the touch. 

“Ooh, yeah please keep doing that.” 

Takashi smiled and did as she asked. They would do anything for her because she was doing everything for them. Adam stole a piece of her muffin and popped it into his mouth. Desiree’s eyes were closed so she didn’t see it. 

“How are you feeling today?” Adam asked. 

“Besides feeling like a bloated whale all the time, and my feet and tits aching, and eating weird combinations of garbage in the middle of the night, and feeling like my emotions are all over the place always? I’m doing great,” she droned. 

“At least your snarky personality is the same,” Adam commented. 

She opened and smacked him in the arm. “Watch it, Wali.” 

Adam stole another piece, which she gasped. “Hey! I’m eating for two you know.” 

“I don’t think you’ll miss a small piece of a muffin.” 

Takashi chuckled. “Okay you two, break it up. We just wanted to check up on you Desi. You’re getting close now.” 

She gestured to the large bump that had their unborn child with her eyebrows raised behind her fringe. “You think?” 

They all shared a smile together. She put her arms around both of them and pulled them close. “But I’m doing fine. I’ll let you know if anything happens, I promise.” 

Just as she said that she let out a hiss and a wince. Her hands went to her back. Adam and Takashi both leaned in. 

“Are you okay?” Adam asked. 

Desiree waved them off. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

Takashi narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her. “Has this pain happened before?” 

“Yeah…” Desiree reluctantly said. 

“When, Desi?” Takashi demanded. 

She rolled her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh. “It started on the drive over here.” 

“Did you start timing these pains?” 

“Yes,” she grumbled. 

Adam then caught on to the implications of the conversation. He let out a small gasp. Anxiety suddenly came through his body like a wave. 

“Desi, you know what that means?” Takashi asked, his voice pitched higher. 

“But the pains aren’t coming in the places those people in the classes said they would!” She objected. 

Takashi shook his head. “Doesn’t matter! I think you need to go to the med ward, just to check it out.” 

Her green eyes were wide as she looked between the two of them. Her mouth was open as she tried to process the information. “You think the baby is coming today?” 

Adam tried to give a reassuring smile. “You’re the one carrying them. What do you think?” 

She hung her head. “ _Fuck_. I think the baby is coming.” 

Both Adam and Takashi shot up out of their seats. They helped Desiree up as well and then left their belongings on the table because they had more important things to do. They made their way out of the mess hall and tried to hastily make their way across the grounds towards the Medical Ward while accommodating Desiree too. 

Takashi walked up to the reception desk when they walked through the glass doors. The nurse looked up and did a double-take when she realized who it was that came up to her. 

“Oh! Admiral Shirogane! What can I do for you today?” 

Takashi gave her his most charming smile. “Is Dr. Robinson available? It’s kind of urgent.” 

The receptionist was gaping at him. Desiree and Adam decided to come up to the desk to join him. She looked at their friend and her eyes widened. 

“ _Ooh_. Uh, let me page her quickly for you.” 

“Thank you.” 

The woman got up from her seat and went back into the offices and rooms for a minute. Then the door opened and Dr. Robinson popped her head. 

“Hey, guys! What’s up?” she said. 

“I think I’m having the baby,” Desiree interrupted, wincing again and letting out a groan. 

Her brown eyes widened. “Oh yeah, that sounds like contraction pain. Come in, come in!” 

Dr. Robinson ushered them into a room together, and Adam watched as she gathered her necessary equipment. It felt oddly private, so Adam and Takashi turned away from the two women as they talked quietly to each other. Adam felt his cheeks hot, and he hoped the flush wasn’t noticeable on his face. Takashi had taken his hand and squeezed it hard and he leaned in close to kiss him on the side of his head. 

“We’re going to be fathers,” he whispered. 

“I can’t believe it,” Adam replied. 

“Me either.” 

They heard Dr. Robinson let out a long whistle. “Oh my, you’re already five centimeters. Okay, let’s find those stitches.”

They didn’t dare look back. Instead, they listened to Dr. Robinson as she talked aloud to Desiree as she did her thing. 

“Ah, there it is!” Then she let out a yelp. “Oh boy. Okay, well, you better get yourself to the hospital wing! That baby is coming alright!” 

Adam then turned around, not caring about what he saw. “What? Don’t we have time?” 

Dr. Robinson let out a chuckle. “Not anymore! I’ll get a wheelchair.” 

Desiree leaned forward. “Oh fuck, _oh fuck_.” 

Dr. Robinson came back out and helped Desiree into the chair. She clapped both Adam and Takashi on the arms. 

“Congrats you two! Let me know what you name her! Now get going, time is of the essence!” 

The hospital wing proper was again on the far side of the Garrison property. Whoever had designed it that way, Adam wanted to wring their necks. Takashi had grabbed both handles of the wheelchair and started a brisk pace down the hallways. Adam had gone just ahead to clean the halls for Takashi and Desiree. When people realized what was happening they would try to shout of their congratulations to them, but they were too busy trying to get Desiree to the hospital wing before she gave birth in the hallways of the Garrison. 

When it became apparent that the baby was not going to wait for their convenience, Takashi started to sprint, with Adam following. People either had to get out of the way in time or risk being mowed down by Takashi and a heavily pregnant Desiree who was in labor. People who did get in the way were then given a quick apology by Adam as he tried to catch up with the two of them. 

Takashi practically burst the doors down to the lobby of the hospital. 

“She’s in labor! We need a room right now!” he shouted. 

Nurses and other staff then swarmed around them, sensing the urgency of it. Adam had time to catch his breath. 

“Maybe I should join you on your morning runs,” Adam joked as he put his hands on his knees. 

Takashi let out a chuckle, smiling at him. “I’d love your company.” 

They turned their attention back to Desiree who was being doted on by nurses. They took her up to the maternity ward, where they followed, and a room was ready for her already. A nurse in pink scrubs was talking to her. 

“Okay, I need you to stand up for me to get onto the bed,” she requested. 

Desiree shook her head. “I can’t.” 

The nurse gave her arm so Desiree could take it. Desiree shook her head. 

“Come on Desi, we’ll help you,” Takashi offered. 

“No, you don’t understand. If I stand up, this baby is going to drop out right onto the floor where we are. I can feel the head, I’m only keeping this child in by clenching my legs together.” 

“Oh shit,” Takashi said. 

Desiree let out a breathless chuckle. “Yeah, oh shit is right.” 

“Takashi, lift Desi up into the bed,” Adam suggested. It was a crazy idea, but the only one they had. 

They looked to Desi, who’s tan face was now flushed red and covered in sweat. Her black hair was coming loose and sticking to her head. 

“Desi is that okay?” Takashi asked. 

“Just do it! I don’t care,” she cried out. 

Takashi swept her up into a lover’s hold and then put her on the bed. More nurses came into the room trying to do some vital checks. Desiree let out a scream as a contraction came. Then she let out a groan through clenched teeth. 

“God this sucks!” she complained. 

Adam took her hand and let her squeeze it, even though it felt as if she would break his fingers in the process. A doctor came in then, holding a clipboard. 

“Hi I’m Dr. Messier,” he introduced. When he looked up and went towards Desiree he was taken aback. 

“Holy crap, okay. We’re doing this now. Noreen, Shannon come help!” 

The two nurses threw some gloves towards the doctor and they put on their facemasks and hairnets. The nurse in the pink scrubs gave them to Adam and Takashi as well. 

“It’s going to get bloody and gross in here, are you okay?” she warned. 

Adam wasn’t ready, but when would he ever be? They nodded. Takashi stood on the other side where Desiree had his hand in a vice grip. 

It went in a big blur. There was a lot of coaxing from the doctor and nurses, and Adam trying to process everything that was happening. Then, there was a sharp cry that entered the room. Adam felt the breath knocked right out of him. A lot of blood came out afterward, but Adam didn’t care about it. His first child had just entered the world, and they were crying their lungs out. 

The cord was cut, and one of the nurses went to take measures and wash the baby off. Adam ripped his mask off and kissed Desiree’s hand. 

“Desi, you did it,” he gasped. She wiped the sweat from her brow and had a big smile on her face. 

“Well, it was a fast birth at least. Congrats you two, you are officially fathers,” she said. 

Takashi went in for an awkward hug and grabbed her face and kissed it all over. Desiree let out a gagging noise and pushed his face away. 

“Go do that to your husband, not me, Shiro,” she groaned good-naturedly. “I’m going to take a well-deserved nap now. Even if it is 8:30 in the morning.” 

A few minutes later the nurse came in with a small bundle wrapped in a soft yellow blanket. She smiled at them. 

“Congrats new fathers. She gave birth to a beautiful little girl,” she announced. 

Adam let out a whoop and a fist pump. Takashi rolled his eyes but wrapped his arms around Adam’s waist. 

The other nurse joined them. “What would you like to name her?” 

Adam preened at his husband. “I win! We’re going to name her Alma.” 

It felt so good to say her name for the first time like this. _Their daughter_. 

“Alma Wali-Shirogane,” Takashi said. He loved how it sounded coming from his husband’s lips.

The nurse filling out the birth certificate typed it quickly. “Alma Wali-Shirogane. Born at 8:19 AM, on the second day of April. Weighing in at five pounds, seven ounces.” 

“We will have to keep her for observation because she was born early, but if you would like to hold her you can.” 

The nurse gave their new daughter to Adam, and nothing compared. Her eyes were closed, and her little face looked serene as she slept. Takashi came up behind to look down at her. 

“She’s so small,” Adam whispered. 

Takashi gently touched the side of her face with a finger. They watched as she reacted to the touch and yawned quietly. Adam felt tears come from his eyes. She was so precious. 

“I can already tell she’s going to look just like you, _Adha_ ,” Takashi said gently. 

Adam took his eyes off their daughter for a moment, to see that he was crying as well. His gray eyes were light and filled with love and admiration. After a few minutes of Adam holding her, he passed her on to Takashi. Seeing his husband holding their daughter for the first time, Adam felt that his family and life were now complete. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna read more about this fam, hit me up on tumblr @adashisoul :) 
> 
> Comments are ALWAYS welcome and appreciated :D

**Author's Note:**

> You can always request more of these kiddos on my tumblr: adashisoul. 
> 
> You can read more with these kids in some of my other fics, Happy Thanksgiving. And another bunch of kiddos in my Kingdom au :) 
> 
> Comments are always welcome by me! Thanks for reading!


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